PPD has opened a new lab in China, further boosting its presence and work in Asia.
The new lab, which builds on its research bases in Shanghai and Singapore, offers bioanalytical, biomarker and vaccine sciences services for global and China-based customers.
The CRO, which is in the process of being snapped up by med tech giant Thermo Fisher for $17.4 billion, said it was also looking to add central lab services in Suzhou next year “to augment the current capabilities in Shanghai and Singapore.”
The new 67,000-square-foot facility in the Suzhou New District in Jiangsu Province will look to inject around 300 staffers over the next three years as a result of the expansion.
“With our new state-of-the-art operations, the latest instrumentation and high-throughput automation, we are further equipped to provide high-quality results and data for our customers,” said Christopher Fikry, M.D., executive vice president of PPD Laboratories.
“We can now offer an in-country lab facility for clinical studies in China that provides the same capabilities that are available for studies at our other locations around the world. Through scientific excellence and consistent, high-quality delivery of critical data, we will help expedite the drug development process for customers who are either based or doing business in China.”
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In Suzhou, the bioanalytical lab includes services for small molecules, biologics, and cell and gene therapies.
The vaccine sciences lab, which amid the pandemic will likely get a lot more attention than it would have pre-2020, provides “a full range of testing services specifically designed for vaccine development trials,” PPD said in a statement.
The lab’s services range from technology assessment and method development to immunogenicity and concomitant studies.
Given its deepening presence in the China drug development marketplace, last year PPD used the Mandarin name Bai Shi Yi (百时益) for its China-based business.
The new name is designed to tap the concepts of bai (100), shi (timely) and yi (beneficial).